The present invention relates generally to headgear including a warning device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a headgear including a light for communicating the presence or action of the person wearing the headgear.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to a motorcycle helmet including a brake light. The helmet is described herein with reference to a motorcycle operator and a brake light, however, the invention is not so limited. The invention is, in fact, applicable in any application where a safety device may be mounted on articles worn by an operator. Presently, motorcycle brake lights are mounted to the rear fender of the motorcycle. This placement of the brake light is too close to the ground to be readily seen by the operators of other motor vehicles.
In order to make motorcycle brake lights easier to see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,393, issued to Reilly on Jul. 26, 1990 discloses a brake light mounted to the motorcycle helmet. The apparatus disclosed in the Reilly reference operates as follows. When the brake pedal is depressed, a switch is closed. A transmitter produces an encoded signal in response to the closed switch. A receiver inside the motorcycle helmet receives the encoded signal. A binary decoder inside the receiver demodulates and decodes the signal. If the decoded signal matches a predetermined code, the decoder turns on the brake light mounted inside the helmet.
Heretofore, prior art motorcycle helmets with brake lights have been found to be disadvantageous because the battery which powers the circuits and brake light in the helmet is drained too quickly. Particularly, the receiver circuit and the brake light require a significant current to accurately produce a visible brake signal. Thus, there is a need for a motorcycle helmet with a brake light which requires reduced power to produce an effective brake signal.